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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. march — the month
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cue — a signal
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — a hint
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — of water
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. staff — a stick
  19. track — a path
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com